Heavy police positioning at Gairsain?

The government of Uttarakhand is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that law and order is fully maintained during its budget session likely to start from 19th/ 20th March in the newly built Gairsain legislative assembly building. The budget session is being held at the new assembly at Gairsain to assuage the anger and raising temper of the Gairsain movement activists who’ve been protesting in various parts of Uttarakhand for the last two months headquartered at Gairsain itself, say political analysts.

Several women protagonists, journalists, youths, senior citizens and the locals have been up in arms against the government of the day demanding declaration of Gairsain as permanent capital keeping in view the complete lack of decentralized development of Uttarakhand leading to a massive exodus of the villagers to the cities, towns and metropolises of the state and the country, particularly the interiors devoid of employment opportunities, health facilities and lack of education compounded with deteriorating agricultural sector due to lack of economic support and other constructive inducements from the system at the administrative and political helm of affairs.

The protagonists of Gairsain and those behind the protest demonstrations in and outside Uttarakhand, have given a call for the Gherao of the Vidhan Sabha building on the first day of the session and the former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat is also staging a one day sit in in front of the assembly building alongwith his supporters and Congressmen to impress upon the incumbent government to acede to the peoples’ long pending demand to declare Garsain as the permanent capital of Uttarakhand. The first day of the assembly session therefore seems to be quite hectic and full of action in and outside the assembly at Gairsain.

Sources reveal that keeping in view the enhanced anger and annoyance of the Gairsain movement activists the government of Uttarakhand is in no mood to tolerate any mischief or high handed attitude of the movement activists and is in a full mood to counter any untoward happening or possibility of massive protest with a heavy hand, come what may.

The myriad amount of policement posted at the assembly building unambiguously speak of the fact that those at the helm of affairs are fully equipped and in complete spirits to counter any form of protest. This is so because the BJP government in the state in historic majority and is not willing to submit under any pressure.

Observers say that posting so much of the police force may also be a tactical strategy of the government to psychologically demoralise the movement activists as most of them are innocent and peace loving citizens, believing in peaceful democratic protests and hence may either withdraw or would be on low keel than being more acrimonious and physically counter offensive.

However, it remains to be seen how strongly would the protesters be able to make their presence felt on the first day of the Gairsain budget session and what would be the government’s line of action dealing with these protestors, after such a massive show of strength of state police force at the Assembly secretariat in Gairsain.

The movement activists claim that it’s already their victory as the government seems to be allegedly afraid of their increasing influence of protests as it has to be ultimately constrained to post so much of the police force to counter them. What do you say friends?
SUNIL NEGI